While digital maps and graphical user interfaces for digital maps have entered wide use, creating such maps and interfaces is difficult using pre-existing software tools. Editing and authoring programs for creating digital map templates, colors, and features has been complex and required many manual operations. In particular, processes for customizing digital maps, or preparing digital maps in a manner that can adapt to other applications that use the maps, has been difficult or inconvenient. Therefore, there is a need for more flexible, comprehensive and convenient computer-based techniques for creating, modifying and manipulating digital maps and graphical user interfaces for digital computer display devices that display maps.